Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 998: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he will respond to a housing policy issue (details supplied) in County Cork. [34066/09]

Michael Finneran (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

A preliminary proposal was received by my Department in relation to the project in question this week. This proposal is under assessment and further information will be required prior to my Department making a formal determination of the project's suitability for inclusion in the leasing programme. All leasing proposals submitted to my Department are assessed in accordance with the terms set out in circular N3/09 and the accompanying guidance document, which my Department issued in February 2009. The leasing initiative is designed to widen further the sources of supply for social housing and thereby help create a flexible range of delivery mechanisms for local authorities to meet the demand for housing.

The initiative will also maximise the level of social housing need that can be met from available public resources, responding to a much greater level of housing needs than could be delivered by relying solely on construction and acquisition programmes. It will also bring into active use some of the vacant housing stock throughout the country. However it is essential that all State investment in housing support, including use of the new leasing arrangements, complies fully with the "sustainable communities" philosophy at the heart of the Government's housing policy, as outlined in Delivering Homes, Sustaining Communities. In this regard, authorities must have regard to the concentration of social housing in a particular development or in the general area where property leasing is proposed.

Christy O'Sullivan (Cork South West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 1000: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the procedure applied when a local authority tenant wishes to buy the accommodation they currently rent; is the procedure applicable to all local authorities; the criterion used to make such a decision; if there is a minimum time that a person needs to be a tenant of a local authority before they may seek to buy their home; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34082/09]

Michael Finneran (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The procedure for processing individual applications under the existing tenant purchase scheme is a matter for each housing authority, within the terms and conditions of the scheme set down in primary legislation and regulations made thereunder. Section 14 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1997 empowers a housing authority to refuse to sell a dwelling to a tenant where the authority considers that the tenant is or has been engaged in anti-social behaviour or that a sale to that tenant would not be in the interest of good estate management. The scheme provides for a discount of 3% of the market value of the house being purchased for each year of reckonable tenancy, up to a maximum of 30%. In addition to this, a further discount of €3,809 is provided. Article 7 of the Housing (Sale of Houses) Regulations 1995 (as substituted by article 2 of the Housing (Sale of Houses) (Amendment) Regulations 1999) specifies the meaning of the expression "reckonable tenancy" for discount purposes, while article 12 of the 1995 regulations provides that a housing authority shall not sell a dwelling to a tenant with reckonable tenancy of less than 1 year.